In my opinion either go with a few solid hedge funds that are conservative or buy a multi unit building. One fund that comes to mind is Ansbacher Investment Management. http://www.ansbacherusa.com/D-Doc.html As the market slows down and rates go higher income properties rise in value because people are forced to rent. You have the possibility of equity growth and will always have the income to pay bills with. Just a opinion!
Buy T Bills on a dip. If it does not go up, you just sit on it to maturity and collect interest. If it goes up, take a profit( if bigger then interest ) and wait for another dip. You absolutely must protect this money. Play it safe !
Flier6, Do yourself a favor and put all of it into a CD and or Treasury Bills. $500,000 @ 5% is still $25,000. Granted that you want to earn more with your money but, with a higher return----there is a higher amount of risk!!! In a survey on Elitetrader, 31% of traders lost money!!! If trading or investing was easy, a lot of people would be rich by now!!! If you are still so inclined to take the leap----study, study and study!!! Read all the good books recommended on this site and I mean really read it cover to cover!!! Paper trade and see if you really can do it and good luck!!!
check in with the staff at IBD and get the name of one of WJO's protogeges in Irvine. He is a principal of a boutique brokerage. He handles accounts larger than yours usually but ha may make an exception. The average ROI on his arrangement with what he calls "aggressive" investors is 60% a year. You will be expected to attend his "training" seminars and to follow his radio broadcasts to be informed relative to the guidance or actual decision making he will be doing for/with you. He also will want you to be keeping in touch with his other clients. There are many such operations available to you in CA and I am just giving you an example whose operations I am familiar with.
That is only 80 points away really. Getting to 11,000 is not really a big deal. Hitting it and staying above it and moving higher 25%...now that is a big deal.
I'm just saying that the dow's had stength relative to ES over the last 2 days and it wants up.If H introduced ME to that broker I wouldn't be doing this.